A terrorist attack near the Myanmar border in Manipur murdered an Assam Rifles Colonel, his wife and eight-year-old son, as well as four soldiers. At 11 a.m., a terror assault in Manipur's Churachandpur district, one of the worst in the region in recent memory, occurred. 

 Colonel Viplav Tripathi, the Commanding Officer of the 46 Assam Rifles, was returning from a forward camp when his convoy was ambushed. 

"Colonel Viplav Tripathi, Commanding Officer of the 46 Assam Rifles, was one of five troops who sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice while on duty. The Commanding Officer's family, including his wife and child, perished as well. The Assam Rifles DG and all ranks extend their condolences to the courageous troops and their families" According to the Assam Rifles. 

 According to police sources, the attack was carried out by the Manipur-based terrorist group People's Liberation Army, or PLA, however no group has yet claimed responsibility. 

According to Manipur Police sources, the ambush was carried out by at least four rebel factions active in the area. According to the sources, there was an improvised explosive device (IED) burst before intense gunfire from both sides of the road began. 

 This is the first time in the district that people have been killed in an ambush. The place is a little village about 50 kilometres from Churachandpur. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sympathies and denounced the assassination attempt on the Assam Rifles convoy in a tweet. "Condemn the attack in Manipur on the convoy of the Assam Rifles. I offer my respects to today's martyred warriors and family members. Their sacrifice will live on in the hearts of the people who witnessed it. During this difficult time, my thoughts are with the deceased families "Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a tweet. 

Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister, denounced the incident and expressed his condolences. "The barbaric attack in Churachandpur, Manipur, on an Assam Rifles convoy was terribly unpleasant and condemnable. Five heroic troops, including CO 46 AR and two family members, have died in the service of their country. My sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones. The criminals will be brought to justice as quickly as possible "Mr. Singh sent out a tweet. 

A counter-operation has been initiated to track down the terrorists, according to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. 

Several armed groups struggle for greater autonomy or secession in Manipur, as they do in many other north-eastern states. The Army has been stationed in the region bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Bhutan for decades. 

Terrorists killed 20  Indian soldiers in Manipur in 2015, prompting the Army to perform a surgical strike on their camp. The Assam Rifles are a paramilitary force under Army command that is primarily deployed for counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, while it is administratively under the Home Ministry. When the situation becomes beyond the control of central paramilitary operations, it operates as a central government interventionist force for internal security.